You make me Smile
by Rushing Water
Summary: He would always wait, always, just to hear those three words coming from her mouth. AU Oneshot: Happy Birthday Neji


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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**You make me Smile**

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_"Neji! Look!" A little girl with a big smile, chestnut brown hair done up in two buns with blue ribbon came racing across the room, a messily wrapped parcel in her small hands. " Neji! I got you a present, open it, open it!" She exclaimed, honey tinted hazel eyes sparkling._

_The boy who sat at his desk, composed, sighed, but then he smiled. He was waiting for this after all. " Thank you Tenten." He said, opening the present slowly, carefully. When he was done with taking off all the coloured tissue paper, he stared at his present, trying not to laugh._

_It was a toy- a pink rabbit plushie with oversized ears, a hideous lime green bow tie that clashed with its candyfloss fur and a huge grin on its face._

_"Squeeze it!" Tenten said, her expression excited. " Squeeze it!"_

_Neji wordlessly followed her instructions and squeezed. The rabbit made a grating, squeaking noise. It hurt his ears. But still his amethyst eyes betrayed happiness._

_The girl with the two-bun hair beamed, her eyes glowing with delight. "Happy birthday Neji!"_

**_ _ _**

She had done this every year without fail. She was always the first one.

**_ _ _**

_"Neji!" She came running across the playground, taller now. They were in primary. She had lost some of her puppy fat, her chin was more pointed, and her legs looked longer in the black knee-length socks she had to wear everyday. But, even if her appearance had changed slightly, her hair was still up in its buns, and her bright, positive smile was still there, the same as ever. The parcel she held in her hands this year had improved- she had finally learnt how to fold properly._

_"Neji! Neji!" The name flowed effortlessly out of her mouth, over and over._

_He was again sitting at his desk, cool, girls huddling in the corners and looking at him every so often. He ignored them. So did she._

_With a metallic plonk, the present was on Neji's desk. He looked up and saw two copper eyes staring at him eagerly. " Open it! Go on, open it!" _

_He couldn't help it- the tiniest hint of a smile graced his perfectly chiseled features. Neji had changed, he too had lost his puppy fat, and everything about him seemed elegant now. His hair was longer too, cascading down his back in a luscious coffee waterfall. His skin was clear and snow white. It didn't seem fair to the other boys._

_"Thank you Tenten." The three words which made her beam with happiness every year._

_He unwrapped the gift in his usual style- always careful. Other girls watched on enviously- he would have never accepted their gifts. Why her? An untidy looking girl._

_The paper was finally off, forgotten at the side._

_"Do you like it? Do you? I made them by myself!" She said to him, sounding proud, yet slightly nervous at the same time._

_This year it was a tin full of assorted cookies, all in different shapes, all with different flavours- he could see chocolate chip cookies, M&Ms, white chocolate and nuts. The tin itself was bursting with colour, flowers and birds and in the midst of all the tall green grass, a messily scrawled in blindingly yellow felt tip 'Happy Birthday Neji!'_

_He nodded in response to her question._

_She said it then, the three words which made him happy. The three words he waited for every year._

_Her eyes glittered in the warm sunshine pouring through the window. " Happy birthday Neji!"_

**_ _ _**

Neji sat at his table, long legs folded. It was graduation for him and his friends today, a celebration for it being the last day of high school...

They would have their normal lessons on the last day, as usual, but there would be a spectacular party waiting for them afterwards that would probably last till the late night hours.

But that wasn't what he was thinking about. It was July third today. It was _that_ day.

Where was she? She was never late.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and a tall, pretty girl ran in. Her hair still up in two buns, the same air of contagious exuberance around her. She had a huge smile on her face, as if she knew something everyone else didn't. There was something wrong with this sunny picture though; there was no parcel in her hands, nothing to give. She didn't even come over to greet him. Not even a 'Congratulations!'

Neji stared at her, his opal eyes confused. Had she forgotten? It couldn't be. Tenten never forgot.

But it seemed like she had, for the bell finally rung and she didn't even say a cheery 'good morning' like she would have every other morning. Why?

During their last lesson, Neji was about to blow. He had no idea why Tenten was ignoring him. It hurt more than he could have imagined.

Something hit his head. A paper ball.

He glanced over his shoulder to where Tenten was sitting, but she seemed perfectly oblivious, her eyes turned downward and innocent.

Sighing, he bent down to retrieve the scrunched up ball of paper. He flattened it out with his hand as the teacher walked past him to help someone at the back.

_Neji, meet me outside after school, kay? I'll be waiting!_

Same cluttered handwriting.

But it made Neji feel at ease; maybe she hadn't forgotten after all.

**_ _ _**

"Neji! Here!" A familiar voice called to him. " Neji! Hurry up!" He could the laughter in her voice. He quickened his pace.

He didn't care that the party was about to start in a matter of minutes- Tenten wanted to see him; she was far more important to him than graduating.

"What's wrong Tenten?" Neji said, once he caught up to her. He didn't mention his birthday.

"Oh, nothing." She said carelessly, reaching out for his hand. " Just come with me, I want to show you something."

A tingle ran down his spine when he felt her warm hand on his, her long fingers wrapping themselves around his longer fingers.

"Where are you bringing me?" He asked, even though he already knew. She was leading him down the path, to where _Konoha National Park _was. The two of them used to go there everyday after school in primary- it used to be their special place. They couldn't go in high school anymore though. Neji had become the captain in so many things and, on top of that, they had a lot more homework and tests to study for. It was going to end soon though.

"You'll see." She said in a singsong voice. She was glad. It was hard for her to feel sad around Neji.

Finally, once they were well into the trees, Tenten stopped and turned to face Neji, her face alight with obvious glee.

"Neji." She said, as if for explanation.

"Tenten." He said it for no reason.

Her hand reaching down into the depths of her schoolbag, Neji already knew what she was looking for. She hadn't forgotten. He knew she wouldn't.

"I know I'm breaking the tradition of giving it to you in school first thing in the morning, but, this time is special, you know?" Tenten said to him as she rummaged through all her textbooks and folders. Her tone was apologetic, but Neji could hear the smile in it. " We're going to graduate really soon-literally today-so I thought, 'this time I want to give it to him in private'." She went on, still digging. Neji listened to her silently, just happy to be close to her on his birthday. " Aha! Found it!" Her satisfied voice echoed around the small clearing.

"Neji!" She exclaimed, eyes shining, hand stretched out with a rather heavy-looking rectangular object. A book? It was folded beautifully this time, with special cut-ins on the corner and a magenta silk ribbon glued in place- right in the middle.

Neji looked at her face, smiling, as he opened the present. He could feel his heart beating fast.

_Does she know how much I long for this every year?_

"Neji, open it faster! This present took ages." She jumped around impatiently, but she was still grinning at him, unable to stop.

_Does she know how much joy it brings to me to just see her smiling at me, handing me a gift?_

The paper was finally off, revealing a stunning old-fashioned scrapbook, royal blue in colour with a picture of Neji and Tenten on the front, an elaborate frame of golden leaves swirling and falling around them eating ice cream together and laughing.

"Yay! Do you like it? It's an album of all our moments together; I had to _kill_ for all these pictures. Not to mention the actual album. Still, I guess it was worth it since it's for you."

_Does she know, every year I just wait to hear those three words:_

"Happy birthday Neji!"

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**I know, not so much romance, but there are tiny little hints. Sorry if you were looking for more. Well, I hope you liked it anyways!**

**Please read and review!**

_Rushing Water :)_


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